This article was originally published on the Marijuana Patients Organization site on November 2, 2013.
The Michigan Medical Marihuana Act has been debated since it’s inception in 2009. The issue of dispensaries has often made center stage. So where are we 5 years later?
At moment there are roughly 144,000 registered patients in Michigan and an unknown number of visiting patients from other states who are protected under Michigan law through a reciprocity clause.
It is estimated that the State of Michigan has nearly 100 storefront dispensaries that assist in providing the uninterrupted supply of medical marijuana for the majority of the state’s 144,000 patients.
While there are no restrictions placed on dispensaries, nor legislation dictating their processes, these locations have managed to self-regulate without incident since 2009. Michigan State Police Director Col. Stephen D. Madden reports that no incidences of minors, or non-patients in possession of marijuana acquired directly from a dispensary, have been reported in 5 years.
Providing for and allowing a framework of dispensaries in the state has proven to be the ultimate deterrent of marijuana made available to Michigan’s youth. Teen marijuana usage is down across the entire state.
The Medical Marijuana Dispensary Association’s (MMDA) executive-director Ryan Richmond stated, “it is well known that teen marijuana use is down in states with medical marijuana laws, every one of them.”
When asked, what do you think about the likelihood of future dispensary legislation in Michigan, Richmond replied, ” there are some bills that could morph into a more defined dispensary law when they get to a senate committee, but as I see it, things have worked relatively well. It could be worse. Patients are getting medicine, and isn’t that what it is all about?”
The Michigan supreme court has ruled that only caregivers can work at a dispensary operation, receive money from marijuana sales and that patients are unable to sell or even give other patients the medicine. This ruling, and the plain language of the act has been the only directive that dispensaries have been operating under.
Perhaps the state agrees with Richmond, in that the dispensaries are working well. How about you?